What do you guys prefer for bottles?

[Ooompa Loompa]

I use 12 and 22 oz brown non twist offs and have no complaints with the results.

 

[Melana]

We use an assortment of brown bottles, usually 12, 22, and 24 oz bottles.

 

[sdhucks7]

I prefer brown bottles that I can empty first :rockin: Sapporo (sp?) are nice so are the Petes Wicked bottles. Actually I use anything I can find (pry off) on bottling day.


SD

 

[wrangler]

nice! i'd love to find some of these. will have to keep my eye out

I love 32 oz. Tecate or Carte Blanca bottles. Ya wanna talk about fast bottling. You only need 20 of these for 5 gallons.

 

[NWernBrewer]

I use 22oz brown bomber bottles and 12oz brown bottles mainly Bridgeport bottles, the neck shape is perfect for a smooth pour. I have also been collecting up bottles from some German weisse beers from the deli down the street - they are .5 liter flip tops and cost about the same as just buying the bottles.

 

[tranceamerica]

you mean you guys don't just drink it straight out of the carboy!?!

 

[stevea1210]

you mean you guys don't just drink it straight out of the carboy!?!

But honey, I'm only going to have one beer tonight, I promise

 

[Willy Boner]

you mean you guys don't just drink it straight out of the carboy!?!

My SWBO won't let me, makes me fart more!

 

[uglygoat]

i prefer the five gallon cornies...

or the 22 oz bombers.

 

[nelsongg]

Just found an ad for 400 empty champagne bottles for free on craigslist.

 

[sigmund]

I'll put my vote in for the 16 oz. Grolsch flip-tops. Once they're cleaned up, they make for easy bottling and the right size drinking for my tastes.

 

[Homercidal]

I get mine from the nearby party store. They got TONS of import and microbrew beers there, and they let me scrounge in the back for any returnables I want. I only pay deposit. Oh, plus the bottles I've emptied myself.

I like the Guiness bottles that have the plastic label, because they peel right off, and the bottle is kind of curvy. I've had a bit of Hoegaarden lately, and like those bottes for their shape too.

I mostly only use 12 oz brown bottles, but I do have a few 22s, so if I make a beer that I think I'll want to drink a lot of in one sitting, I'll use some of those.

 

[TexLaw]

If you want a source for bottles, get over to a competition sometime. Dead soldiers from entries often get stuck over in a corner for anyone who will carry them away.


TL

 

[ThriceIn5Minutes]

I love 32 oz. Tecate or Carte Blanca bottles. Ya wanna talk about fast bottling. You only need 20 of these for 5 gallons.

Ed, I've had problems with the caps not fitting my Tecate/Sol/Carte Blanca caguama bottles. They seem to have a slightly smaller lip. My capper always gives me trouble trying to cap them and, in my experience, about half of the bottles that size are flat due to air leaks at the cap. I don't have problems with other recycled bottles or the one I buy at AHS.

Do you use a different cap size? Do they even make a smaller cap size?

 

[ThriceIn5Minutes]

Back on topic -

I only use brown bottles and like them as big as I can find. That's why I've tried to use the 32oz bottles.

The major drawback to those bottles (and Anchor's) is that there is no ridge at the transition from the barrel to the neck of the bottles. Having that ridge makes it much easier to limit the sediment that pours out. I have 6 Bellhaven bottles that have a really narrow neck and pronounced ridge to trap sediment.

 

[Old_Brewer]

I started with 12oz brown crown cap bottles. Next I went to 750ml green Champagne bottles. I currently use 2 liter plastic soda (pop) bottles, & I keep them out of the light. I haven't used the 2 5Gal cornies, yet. After the move...

 

[tranceamerica]

I use 12 oz brown bottles, whatever my neighbor drinks & I steal out of his recycling.

Unfortunately, he seems to really like New Belgium beers - and I dislike their bottle shape, and the little printed glass ring around the neck. In fact, I dislike all bottles with printed crap on them, like sam adams, for example. I hope, over time, to get enough smooth and simple bottles that the decorated ones can get recycled.

I'm probably to the scale where I should be kegging (I've got over 300 bottles, and in a couple of days they'll all be full...) but I don't want to invest the money or space to keg. Maybe when I buy a house and can build out my brewery & bar...

I like the smaller bottles (rather than 22oz) because I prefer to drink a little. Usually one beer at a time is enough for me, then if I want another, it's no big deal to open another one. They also work well for giving beer away, which I like to do.

Yeah, bigger bottles would make bottling go faster, but no worries.

Oh, and I'd really really like to find a source for stubby bottles, like red stripe, but without the printing on them!

 

[hefeweizen]

I have about 23 cases of brown German 1/2 liter bottles (20 to a case). About 6 cases are flippies.

I sold about 100 Grolsch bottles and gave the buyer 8 cases of 12 oz bottles free.

I have a couple extra 12 oz lying around that I'll probably get rid of after they are emptied.

I also have 23 cornies...

Where did you get those German .5L bottles? Those are my preference but I can't find any place to buy them. I am drinking Weinstephaners as fast as I can to build up a stockpile but that can take a while.

Thanks,

Ron

 

[quickerNu]

My hippie friends bring me lots of bottles. They drink mostly New Belgium, but they get bottles from all of their friends, too. I have a pretty big assortment of different brands and styles. I try to keep like bottles in the same six pack holder. I do at least one 22 oz. bomber for each brew, and box them up for aging.

 

[bru-er]

I'll put my vote in for the 16 oz. Grolsch flip-tops. Once they're cleaned up, they make for easy bottling and the right size drinking for my tastes.

+1 here. I usually do not bottle anymore - 5 gal corny. I have decided to take up bottling a portion for longer term storage and sampling to friends.

 

[leghorn]

I do at least one 22 oz. bomber for each brew, and box them up for aging.

Great Idea! This is on my list of things to do with future batches.

I have Sam Adams bottles, but am starting to replace some with Lagunitas bottles in case I decide to enter a competition. The Lagunitas bottles are stubby, and fit into a small cooler or box better than longnecks.

 

[Kevin Dean]

I use 1 liter amber bottles for most brews.

When I'm bottling smaller ones, I just reuse Smithwick's bottles.

Both blue and green bottles allow damaging light through, but amber/red/orange bottles do not. Apfelvein in Grolsh bottles, beer in brown.

 

[Aspera]

you mean you guys don't just drink it straight out of the carboy!?!

I enjoy the classy feeling of screw top, liter bottles. Fun for sharing, easy to bottle.

 

[monty73741]

Champagne Bottles & brown 12 onces i use.
i rigged up a dish washer i got off of craigs list & a hose from a sanitary tub(lundry tub) to take off the label. I call it the HILLBILLY label remover. plus they come out pretty clean when they are done. almost all glue off

 

[coeceo]

Anyone reuse Miller or Coors screw top plastic bottles?

These come in 16 oz at my local store and I want to bring some beers camping, PET bottle online are kinda pricey but these look like the same thing....

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

I use normal 12oz brown Sierra Nevada bottles, but that's mostly because all my friends drink SN...lots of extra bottles around. However, I'm starting to save up 22 and 24oz brown bottles because it would make bottling day much quicker. The only problem is finding a good way to carry those big bottles around to friends houses, bbqs, etc.

 

[Eves]

Sadly I know very few people who live near me who drink beer from non-screw top bottles. Just way too much Bud and Miller influence among my friends and family. My first batch I brewed was bottled using the 30 740ml PET bottles that came with my kit. Seemed to work well. But I am just not a fan of the PET bottles for my beer. So for my second batch I resorted to buying the cheapest brown non-twist off bottles of beer I could find.

I settled on Smithwicks (Guiness product). When it came to bottling my second batch the Smithwicks worked great. In fact, I very much enjoyed the whole bottling process and look forward to my next batch, though the next batch will be using new bottles picked up from a LHBS.

 

[Wrathbone]

Sadly I know very few people who live near me who drink beer from non-screw top bottles. Just way too much Bud and Miller influence among my friends and family. My first batch I brewed was bottled using the 30 740ml PET bottles that came with my kit. Seemed to work well. But I am just not a fan of the PET bottles for my beer. So for my second batch I resorted to buying the cheapest brown non-twist off bottles of beer I could find.

I settled on Smithwicks (Guiness product). When it came to bottling my second batch the Smithwicks worked great. In fact, I very much enjoyed the whole bottling process and look forward to my next batch, though the next batch will be using new bottles picked up from a LHBS.

Cooper's kit eh?

Be careful with the bottles from your LHBS - I think some members here have had issues with the glass being too thin.

 

[Eves]

Yep, Coopers kit.

And I've read some of the stories about LHBS bottles possibly being thin. However, there are also lots of people that get by with them just fine. Hopefully I am one of the lucky ones who's LHBS stocks good bottles.

 

[GloHoppa]

the best part about my mr beer kit has been the bottles. I have been able to reuse them at least twice if not three times and they hold about 22 oz and are plastic so no shattering!!!